Pakistani raids near Afghan border kill 12 soldiers, 35 fighters

Military confirms deadly operations successful Bajaur and South Waziristan amid rising attacks by the Pakistan Taliban.

Pakistani information forces person raided 2 hideouts of the Pakistan Taliban equipped radical adjacent the Afghan borderline this week, triggering fierce clashes that killed 12 soldiers and 35 fighters, says the military.

The subject connected Saturday said 22 fighters were killed successful the archetypal raid successful Bajaur, a territory successful northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Thirteen much were killed successful a abstracted cognition successful South Waziristan district, it added.

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The connection said the 12 soldiers, “having fought gallantly, paid the eventual sacrifice and embraced martyrdom” successful South Waziristan, their deaths underscoring the struggles Pakistan faces arsenic it tries to rein successful resurging equipped groups.

The Pakistan Taliban, besides known arsenic the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), claimed work for the attacks successful a connection connected societal media. The group, which Islamabad says is based successful Afghanistan, is abstracted to but intimately linked with the ruling Taliban successful Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Taliban uses Afghan ungraded to signifier attacks successful Pakistan, the subject said, urging the Taliban authorities successful Kabul “to uphold its responsibilities and contradict usage of its ungraded for violent activities against Pakistan”.

The subject described the killed fighters arsenic “Khwarij”, a word the authorities uses for the Pakistan Taliban, and alleged they were backed by India, though it offered nary grounds for the allegation.

Pakistan has agelong accused India of supporting the Pakistan Taliban and separatists successful Balochistan, charges that New Delhi denies. There was nary contiguous remark from the Taliban successful Kabul oregon from New Delhi.

From 10-13 September, 30 5 Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hellhole successful 2 abstracted engagements successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

On reported beingness of Khwarij, an quality based cognition was conducted by the Security Forces successful Bajaur…

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) September 13, 2025

Pakistan has faced a surge successful equipped attacks successful caller years, astir claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, which has go emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized powerfulness successful Kabul successful 2021, with galore Pakistan Taliban leaders and fighters uncovering sanctuary crossed the border.

Saturday’s onslaught was 1 of the deadliest successful months successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, wherever the Pakistan Taliban erstwhile controlled swaths of territory until they were pushed backmost by a subject cognition that began successful 2014.

For respective weeks, residents of assorted districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa person reported that graffiti bearing the Pakistan Taliban’s sanction has appeared connected buildings. They accidental they fearfulness a instrumentality to the group’s reign implicit the portion during the highest of the alleged warfare connected terror, led by the United States, which spilled crossed from Afghanistan.

A section authorities authoritative precocious told the AFP quality bureau that the fig of Pakistan Taliban fighters and attacks had increased.

Nearly 460 people, mostly members of the information forces, person been killed since January 1 successful attacks carried retired by armed groups warring the state, some successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the confederate state of Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.

Last twelvemonth was Pakistan’s deadliest successful astir a decade, with much than 1,600 deaths, astir fractional of them soldiers and constabulary officers, according to the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies.